Take a sec, Share with your Friends!

You know the risk and have the plan, now you need to peice together a few emergency kits to have the supplies and tools necessary to keep your family safe and sound.  There are a few different kits you can piece together and it's really a matter of personal preference and what works for your family.  Here we'll discuss three basic emergency kits that every home, family and vehicle should have.

Grab and Go Emergency Kit:An emergency grab and go kit should include a minimal 3 day food and water ration per person just like your home 72 hour emergency kit, but since this is meant to be a portable kit, it's best to use MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), freeze dried foods and water filters/purifiers.  Food supplements along with first aid kit, hand crank/battery powered NOAA/AM/FM radio, emergency sleeping bag, candles, duct tape, utility knife, 5-in-1 survival whistle and more... should be placed in a duffel bag or back pack near your emergency exit like a front entrance closet.  Don't forget to add a copy of your emergency plan and an extra set of home/car keys.

Vehicle Emergency kit: You will never know the importance of having an emergency kit in your vehicle until you are stranded with no way to communicate.  First thing you should have is an Emergency Road Side Kit.  These kits can be pieced together or bought in an a nice self sealed case.  They house all the necessary tools and supplies to get you back on the road and/or be seen.  Additionally you want to have first aid kit, food, water, blanket, hand warmers, crank/battery powered NOAA/AM/FM radio, etc... a smaller version of the Grab and Go Emergency Kit you can store in a small backpack and leave in your trunk. 

Home Emergency Preparedness: You can use your Grab and Go Emergency Kit for home emergencies, but there are small things you can do to make an extended emergency easier on you and your family.  Preparing a select menu, rotating pantry and alternative cooking source will allow you to prepare hot, nutritious meals.  Start slowly by bulking up supplies at sales and in no time you will have a months supply of meals.  A hot nutritious meal is great for moral and energy.  In follow up articles we will cover how to piece together a complete emergency kit however you will want on hand a good first aid kit, invest in an AC electric generator, wood stove, extra blankets, potable water storage, crank/batter operated NOAA//AM/FM radio, candles/lantern and more.  The most important to remember is to inventory what your needs are and build a kit to suite.

The best thing about piecing together your own emergency preparedness kit is you can tailor it specifically to your families needs.  You can slowly gather the emergency supplies for each kit until you have them completed so there is no need for large up front cost.

These kits are the suggested minimal to have on hand and will keep you and your family safe and ready to deal with an emergency in a quick, effective manner.  These kits obviously merge into each other, but having the 3 basic kits ready to go will ensure you have emergency supplies ready when you need them.